On the mats, on the ice and on the hill; in many sports, Groves and Seaholm come together to become one team, also known as Birmingham Unified Sports.
Throughout the fall season, the biggest rivalry matchup is the cross-town rivalry. This rivalry is between Birmingham Groves and Seaholm. Whether it’s in football, volleyball or soccer, the cross-town showdown is known to have the most energetic and intense crowd draw. But, once winter and spring come around this rivalry starts to dissolve and students from both schools come together as one team.
Flipping across the floor, the Birmingham Unified Gymnastics team is dominating the competition. The team is comprised of six Groves and two Seaholm students, conquering the divide between the two schools one flip at a time. Even though Groves is the home school that hosts most practices and meets, Senior Captain Kaylin Arthur believes the sport is not just a Groves sport, but a Birmingham sport. These girls aren’t held back by the polarization of the two schools. Instead, they are pulled together by their love for the sport.
“The thing I enjoy most is that I get to meet people from other schools. I have met some of my best friends through the gymnastics team and a lot of them go to Seaholm,” Arthur said.
While gymnastics is mainly Groves students, the Birmingham Unified (BU) Hockey Team is comprised mostly of Seaholm students. Senior Ian Lawton has been on the team for three years and is one of the four Groves boys out of 21 students in total on BU.
“There are way more kids that go to Seaholm. So, just by average, they are going to get recognized more. But other than that, I feel like it is pretty equal,” Lawton said.
Even though there are more Seaholm students than Groves students, this doesn’t affect the team dynamic. All of the students on BU come together as teammates, and support each other during practices and games— no matter what school they attend.
On the other side of the blade, the Birmingham Varsity Skating Team is balanced with athletes from both schools, with about half the team coming from Groves and the other half coming from Seaholm. To maintain equity, four captains are named: two from Groves and two from Seaholm. Even with the divide of schools, Senior Captain Erin Biederman believes the coaches provide a fair chance for everyone to showcase their skills, no matter what schools they come from.
In the snow, the Birmingham Unified Ski team has a different bond than other teams. Spending a week out west during the preseason and training together in northern Michigan almost every weekend, they have all formed a close-knit community that sets the rivalry aside. Senior Sophie Piotrowicz has been part of the team since her freshman year and loves meeting new people she doesn’t see at school every day.
“The thing about the ski team is it’s not just Seaholm and Groves girls, it’s also boys. So, you get the chance to meet way more people, not just people from your school,” Piotrowicz said.
Given that the team of 30 has a makeup of only nine Groves students, the ski team is seen more as a Seaholm sport.
“When I was doing my final forms registration, it said SHS Girls Ski Team— as in the Seaholm ski team. But my coach took the “unified” out of our name so we are just the Birmingham Ski Team,” Piotrowicz said.
Team bonding has been key to building successful relationships between the racers from both schools. The team hosts ski waxing parties before every race to give them an opportunity to prepare for the race ahead, as well as get to know each other better outside of being suited up on the hill.
The girls’ Birmingham Lacrosse Team is another Birmingham Unified sport that primarily consists of Seaholm students. Senior Ava Borovich has been on the lacrosse team for three years, and is one of the six girls at Groves compared to 15 girls at Seaholm on the team. While the physical distance between Groves and Seaholm isn’t far, the girls’ relationships with each other drift apart occasionally. Even though the team has challenges off the field and in the locker room, for every face-off on the field, they come together to achieve the goal they all share of winning the game.
“There has been some adversity but nothing our team couldn’t figure out or resolve. At the end of the day, we all have the same goal of trying to win,” Borovich said.
Closing the gap between the two schools will allow for less polarization between the Birmingham students. While in most sports the rivalry is heated and competitive, the Birmingham Unified Sports allow students to form a bond with others in the city that they may not get to meet otherwise.
